Listen

When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The Lord is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it. He was terrified and thought, This sacred place is awesome. It’s none other than God’s house and the entrance to heaven. After Jacob got up early in the morning, he took the stone that he had put near his head, set it up as a sacred pillar, and poured oil on the top of it.

Genesis 28:16-18

Think

In our scripture for today, Jacob is on the run from his brother Esau. With feelings of loneliness, uncertainty, and guilt, Jacob sleeps outdoors in a desert. And in the middle of nowhere, he has an experience and discovers God in a dream. His words reflect amazement: “Truly God is in this place, and I did not know it.” He felt awe and fear, but here fear is not synonymous with experiencing danger or threat. Rather, it is reverence. It is the same awe we see in Jesus’ disciples when he performs a miracle.

Sometimes, God is revealed in places, situations, and people we did not expect. This often leaves us speechless. It is hard for us to think that we cannot predict God’s actions, nor the methods God uses to tell us that God is near. For Jacob, it is the desert when he used a stone as a pillow. At first, he could not realize it, but later his doubts became the certainty that God was already there.

Richard Rojas Banuchi

Question to Ponder:

Who or what will God use to bless you?

Pray

God, open the eyes of my faith so that I may see you even in those places and people I do not expect. And that even when I feel doubt, give me the gift of discerning your presence near me. Amen.

Go

Recognizing that God has been present helps us live grateful lives.